Csere, James J.

June 01, 2006

CSERE, James J.

James J. Csere, 89, of MacDonough Place, Middletown, formerly of Portland, died Wednesday, (May 31, 2006) in his home. Born in Portland, March 19, 1917, a son of the late Julius and Julia Ronay Csere, he was a lifelong Portland resident living in the same Marlborough Street home until moving to MacDonough Place. He was a 1935 graduate of Portland High School and had attended Middlesex Community College. He had been employed by the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company for 42 years retiring as Chief Paymaster in 1984 but still working part-time for another seven years. He was a veteran of World War II serving 5 years as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps being the first man from Portland to be drafted into the armed forces. He also had served on the Selective Service Board for Middlesex County for many years. He was a life member of the Freestone Council # 7, 4th Degree member Bishop McFarland Assembly Knights of Columbus, a member of the AARP # 2826 Brownstone Chapter, a member of the Portland Historical Society, The American Legion Post # 69, and a Charter Member of the Portland Lions Club. He was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party serving as Financial Secretary for many years. He had been the Civil Defense Directo for the Town of Portland as well as a Prosecutor in the Trial Justice Court in Portland. He was a member of the Friends of the Portland Library and was a communicant of the Church of Saint Mary for over 80 years. He is survived by his sisters Ethel Puglisi and Jean Newsom; his brother Richard P. Csere and his dear friend Jane Rich, all of Portland, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Grace Benoit, Dorothy Parker, Eleanor Milardo, Katherine Luckhardt, Helen Foley, and Marguerite Long, and his brother William Csere. His family will recieve relatives and friends in the Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland, Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held Monday at 10:30 a.m. from the Portland Memorial Funeral Home and at 11 a.m. in the Church of Saint Mary for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment, with military honors will follow in Saint Mary's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be sent to the Church of Saint Mary, 51 Freestone Avenue Portland, CT 06480, or to the Portland Visiting Nurses Association 309 Main St. Portland, Ct 06480.